


Distorted Mirror

by EclipseOfTheWild



Series: Linked Universe - Weekly Prompts [2]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Alright let's go, Angst, Blood, LU Weekly Prompt, Mind Control, Sort of? - Freeform, Twi Angst, Twilight and Sky bonding, Villain Week, because I'm making that a thing, this should be fun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-03
Updated: 2019-09-03
Packaged: 2020-10-06 03:55:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20500469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EclipseOfTheWild/pseuds/EclipseOfTheWild
Summary: He put the thought out of his head. For now he had to focus on…on…What was he doing?’End the light.’Light…that’s right…hunting…light…He had to snuff it out.





	Distorted Mirror

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is my contribution to the weekly prompt on the LU discord! :D 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Twilight rolled his shoulders back, readjusting to his human form. It was a strange feeling to switch between wolf and Hylian, but he had gotten used to it for the most part; especially since he started transforming a lot more when he joined the other Links.

He felt a lot more…in tune with the Twili magic lately, making it much easier to transform. Not to say that it isn’t easy to _transform_, really. It was that it was difficult to swap between light and twilight.

To put it into words, when he was a wolf, there were certain…desires that aren’t there when he’s human. Not ones that a normal wolf would have, like hunting; they were more dark, in a literal sense. He craved darkness, he craved _twilight_. 

Twilight could handle them though, and so far they hadn’t ever really affected him, not strongly enough for him to act on them, anyways. Yet, in the back of his mind, it bothered him. 

Shaking his head, he focused on the task at hand. He had transformed fairly close to camp, but far enough where he wouldn’t be spotted by the others.

He looked up through the trees, seeing the fading sunlight peeking through; it was almost twilight. It was his favorite time of day, because it was when he felt most connected to the Twilight Realm, and Midna. 

Today felt different though. The twilight glow of the sky stirred up emotions that…weren’t his. Twilight shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He was probably just imagining things. With that, he continued on towards the camp.

“Hey, Twilight! You got back just in time for dinner!” Wild waved as Twi walked into the small clearing, already pouring some kind of stew into bowls.

“Hello, Wild, I’ll take a small portion today. I’m not too hungry.” The older boy managed a small smile.

The resident chef stared at him, his eyes showing concern, but didn’t voice it, handing him his meal and moving on to the others. Twilight appreciated it; he didn’t really feel like trying to explain a strange feeling that he didn’t understand himself. 

Throughout dinner, everyone chatted and conversed amongst themselves, Warriors exaggeratedly reenacting some battle story from his time as a hero. Meanwhile, Twilight quietly picked at his food, occasionally taking small sips from the now-cool stew.

Time, noticing his behavior, moved closer to his protégé, “You alright, Pup? You seem like something’s on your mind.”

“Yeah, I’m okay; just…feeling a little strange, I guess.” The other boy responded, frowning.

“Maybe you should try to get some rest, you might be getting sick.” Time put his hand on his shoulder.

Twilight nodded, setting his bowl aside, before heading to the edge of camp where he had left his things. Pulling his bedroll out of his bag, he laid it out on the ground, placing his fur pelt at the top for his pillow.

He laid on the bedroll, facing his back to the others, and closed his eyes.

_Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow._

A certain hero looked on, eyes barely concealing worry.

_Darkness fell upon the land, shrouding the people in twilight. _

_A lone wolf howled, gleefully chasing its prey._

_Swords clanged, blood spilled, and shouts echoed through the world._

_A dark figure smiled, markings glowing on their face._

_Lights snuffed out, one by one._

_Two yellow eyes shined brightly in the darkness._

_‘End…the…light’_

Twilight shot up, gasping. His breaths were ragged, eyes wide with terror. With shaking hands, he pushed his bangs out of his face, before glancing around the area. It appeared to be well into the night, most of the others having already fallen asleep.

The only other person left awake was Sky, who was quietly poking at the campfire, seemingly lost in thought.

“Bad dream?” Sky’s spoke suddenly, making Twilight jump.

“N-no! It was just…” The chosen hero stared, unimpressed, “…a bad dream.”

Sky patted the spot next to him invitingly, “Come sit with me for a while.” 

Twilight pushed himself off of his bedroll, quietly padding to the small fire, sitting next to the other boy. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the peace of the night.

“So, do you want to talk about it?” Sky finally asked.

Twilight sighed, “There isn’t much to talk about honestly, there were lots of…images, but I can’t remember them clearly. All I know is that it was…dark; in more than the literal sense. And it’s like I can still _feel_ that darkness.” 

He subconsciously reached his hand to place it on his heart, a troubled look crossing his face, “It’s…probably nothing, but I feel…wrong in a way.”

“Wrong?” 

“I…I don’t know, it’s hard to describe.” Twilight stood up, “I think I’m going to try and go back to sleep. Thanks for listening, Sky.”

Sky smiled softly, “Anytime. If you have any more bad dreams, or need someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” The other boy turned, his soft footsteps fading from Sky’s hearing.

Sky’s smile dropped in favor of a worried frown.

Something was going on with Twilight, and he needed to get to the bottom of it. For now, he’d let him rest, though.

…

_There was laughter, at first. It was a bright, sunny day, smiles all around, until suddenly a looming twilight flowed over the land, enveloping the world in gloom. People stared in confusion at the strange phenomenon._

_Then, a wolf howled, its call reaching everyone’s ears, sending them running in fright. The dark beast was chasing something, a person. Its teeth were bared in a feral grin, the scene changed just as the person’s scream rang out._

_Two people were fighting. Swords clanged together, blood staining the green grass underneath them. One of them was smiling; the other’s jaw was clenched in anger._

_A lone figure stood by them self, darkness cloaking their appearance. They turned around, a large grin on their face; blue, glowing markings on their face._

_Voices called out, pleading for something, shouting at something, lights shined brightly until they each went out, as if someone was blowing out a candle. _

_Two yellow eyes shined brightly, staring unsettlingly._

_‘End the light…Link…’_

His eyes snapped open, the light of the morning sun making him subconsciously flinch. Why was there so much light? It was too much light. Twilight shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He needed to get up; it was already late enough as it is.

_Stupid nightmares, that’s all they are, get over it._

Maybe some hunting would clear his mind.

Twilight pushed himself up, gathering his gear and heading out into the forest. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, brightening up the dark forest. He absentmindedly fingered the Twili crystal that hung from his neck.

He was hunting, but he didn’t _really_ need to be a wolf to do that. Yet…he felt tempted to transform…just for a bit. Twilight willed the magic from the crystal to enter him, his form shifting and changing until he stood on four legs, shaggy fur covering him.

The Twili magic surrounded him, allowing him to sigh in relief. The light was finally gone. Why did he feel so happy about that? He put the thought out of his head. For now he had to focus on…on…

What was he doing?

**’End the light.’**

Light…that’s right…hunting…light…

**He had to snuff it out**

A wolf’s howl rang through the land.

…

Twilight blearily opened his eyes, being greeted by the starry night sky. He felt grass underneath his hands, a liquid dripping from his face. He reached a hand to his face, wiping off the mysterious liquid with his glove.

It was crimson red. 

His eyes widened with shock, and he bolted up from where he laid on the ground. Surrounding him was blood; so much blood. And it wasn’t his. 

What had happened? _Whose blood was this_?

Twilight shakily pushed himself into a standing position, backing away from the area, before turning and dashing away into the woods. A small river flowed just ahead of him; he crouched down, splashing water on himself, desperately trying to remove the blood from his hands and his face.

After the blood was gone, he sat there, shaking. The last thing Twilight remembered was walking through the woods and he…turned into a wolf…and then…nothing. 

A hand reached up to grip the Twili crystal, as soon as he came into contact with it, images flashed through his mind; running, chasing, and the color red spilling out. He jumped; had he lost control? That had never happened before.

**’Accept me.’**

Twilight looked around, searching for the source of the voice.

“Who’s there? Show yourself!” 

**’I cannot show myself, for I am a part of you, I am in your mind. You must accept me.’**

“Are _you_ what made me lose control? Because I would _never_ accept something like that.” Twilight growled.

A light laugh echoed in his head, **’Yet you let me in.’**

“No…I didn’t…”

**’You crave the darkness, the twilight, I sense it, so why not accept me? Let me take control?’**

“Because I don’t want to hurt people!” He shouted.

**’You wanted to hurt Zant, you wanted to hurt Ganondorf, you want to hurt all who stand in your way. Do you not view the ones you have slain as people?’**

“But…the ones I kill are monsters!”

**’Isn’t the real monster the one who mindlessly kills just because he is told the thing at the end of his blade is a monster?’**

Twilight looked down, “I’m…not a monster.” 

**’You hesitated.’**

The hero shook his head; why was he talking to some voice in his mind? He didn’t have to listen to it. Ignoring the voice, he continued on through the forest, looking for camp.

**’You will accept me, soon.’**

…

The camp actually was pretty close, and Twilight saw the glow of the fire minutes after setting out from the river. As soon as he past the tree line, the other Links turned to stare at him.

“Where have you been, Pup?” Time asked, crossing him arms, “We were worried about you, we looked everywhere and couldn’t find you. You can’t just disappear like that without telling someone!”

Twilight bit his lip. The truth was that he didn’t _know_ where he had been, but if he told them that, they would just think he was some kind of insane person. 

“I was…hunting.” He nearly cringed at the word, remembering the blood surrounding him in that clearing.

Legend raised an eyebrow, “And where’s the meat? If you went hunting, them _surely_ you caught something?”

“It…got away.”

“Why do I find that hard to believe?” Legend frowned, suspicious.

Sky cut in, “Okay, okay, calm down. We all have our bad days, maybe Twi just got a bit unlucky with the hunting trip.”

He was giving him an out, “Yeah, just got unlucky, that’s all.” 

Twilight shot Sky a grateful look. The other boy smiled at him, but his eyes told him that he was not in the clear just yet.

Time placed a hand on his shoulder, “Next time, just tell us when you’re going to be out hunting all day, okay?” Twilight nodded agreeably, “Alright, Wild, do you think you could heat up Twi’s portion of dinner since he missed it?”

Wild nodded, turning to the pot that was sitting next to fire and placing it back over the flames, “Should be done in a few minutes.”

“Twi, can we chat for a minute?” Sky asked kindly.

Nodding, Twilight followed Sky to the edge of camp.

The other boy stopped suddenly, turning on Twilight, “Alright, so what _really_ happened out there?”

“Well, you said it yourself. Just back luck with hunting, so I stayed out longer.”

“We both know that isn’t true. If you _really_ had bad luck, you would have just come back.” Sky frowned.

“Nothing happened. I just lost track of time.” Twilight was starting to feel irritated. What right did Sky have to question what he was doing? No, of course he had a right; he was gone all day with no explanation!

Sky crossed his arms, “Something’s happening to you, I know it is. You’ve been acting strangely since you came back to camp that one night. You even said it yourself! I don’t want to pry, but if something is hurting you then I have to-“

**”I said I’m fine! Light dwellers like you wouldn’t understand what I do with my time; so just back off!”** Twilight snapped, dark energy radiating off of him in waves. Sky jumped at his sudden change.

Twilight blinked, “Sorry, didn’t mean to snap at you, just didn’t get enough sleep I suppose.”

He turned, walking back to the others, leaving a stunned Sky. It hadn’t been apparent, but for a split second, his eyes…

Twilight’s eyes had turned yellow.

…

Twilight stared at the sky, hands lying on his chest. He was tired; exhausted, actually, but he had a lot on his mind. What had happened earlier that day? Why did he hear that voice? Why did he snap at Sky like he did? 

Questions swirled in his head, keeping him awake. Eventually, he sighed, rolling over on his bedroll, pushing the questions aside for the time being. He needed to get some sleep, Time had told him that the group was going to be travelling tomorrow, and he didn’t need to be sleep deprived for that.

He closed his eyes, easily slipping into sleep.

_The dream started the same way, everyone was happy, the sun shined brightly in the blue sky. There was some kind of festival in one of the Hyrules’ Castletowns. He even saw the Links roaming around, laughing and joking together. _

_He was missing. _

_That’s when the dream changed._

_A lone figure strode through the open gate, the world seeming to darken with twilight behind them. The sun cowered behind the clouds in their presence. Twilight could see the glowing yellow eyes, the large, feral grin, just like in his dreams before._

_Someone came forward, sword drawn. The mysterious person was shrouded in light, cloaking their true identity. The dark and the light ran towards each other, the land changing around them. Suddenly they were in a field, blood spilt across the land. _

_Eight other figures were shouting something, but to no avail. Twilight ran closer, trying to see who they were, but the world rippled in front of him. The grinning dark figure stood in front of him now, like a distorted mirror._

_Twilight reached a hand out, the figure copying his movement. Just as they made contact, the other’s face became clear._

_It was himself._

…

Exhaustion weighed on him heavily, making him drag his feet on the ground. He had barely gotten any sleep last night, every time he attempted to go back to sleep, he was haunted with his distorted self, with the blood, with the _twilight _.

Even now, the twilight seemed to surround him, consume him. He was drawn to it, yet he rejected it. He craved it, yet he denied it. He wanted it, yet he didn’t. The conflicting desires were driving him mad. Twilight hadn’t attempted to transform into a wolf so far that day, even if he wanted to _desperately_.

<s>Was it even him who wanted that?</s>

The others had definitely noticed his strange behavior, even Legend seemed to be sending him concerned glances every once and a while. Irrational anger rose within him, before he shoved it down. Twilight had already snapped at Sky for no reason, he hardly needed to ruin any more of his relationships.

**’Why do you continue to care for these light dwellers? The only reason they keep you around is because you’re a hero. The only reason they care is because they pity you.’**

_’If you think you’re going to get in my head with your mind games, you’re wrong.’_ Twilight silently retorted.__

_ _ **’I told you, I’m already in your head, I am you, your darkness.’** _ _

_ _He stopped in the middle of the path, eyes wide, realization striking him._ _

_ _ _’Are you the one in my dreams?’_ _ _

_ _A light laugh sounded in his head, **’Yes and no, because, really, it’s you, but it’s me. It’s us, really. Us, free from the light. Free from the pesky light dwellers constantly begging for our help, free from our ‘heroic duties’.**_ _

_ _He growled, “I don’t _want_ to be ‘free of the light’. I want you to get out of my head!” _ _

_ _“Uh, Twilight?” A voice called from in front of him. His gaze snapped up to see Wild, “Who are you talking to?”_ _

_ _“Nobody! I’m fine!” Twilight snapped, stalking forward, farther away from the group, away from those foolish light dwellers._ _

_ _He hated the light. _ _

_ _…_ _

_ _**’They probably think you’re insane.’** The voice sang mockingly._ _

_ _“Whatever, I don’t care about what light dwellers think- no, of _course_ I care! They’re my friends!” Twilight was conflicted. _ _

_ _Were they his friends? Or were they simply light dwellers? Was he dark or was he light?_ _

_ _ **’You have the wrong idea, Link. I’m not simply just darkness, no. I should have been more specific, I am really your twilight.’** _ _

_ _“My…twilight?”_ _

_ _ **’Just like your- our dear Midna. She’s a Twili and she’s not evil, is she? But think about what the light dwellers have done. They cause wars, so many deaths, and injustice. Am I really that bad compared to them?’** _ _

_ _“…”_ _

_ _“…Maybe you’re right.”_ _

_ _**’All you have to do is accept me, and we can be friends! We can snuff out the light together; we can be in the twilight, happy and free. How does that sound?’** The voice was kind, _friendly_._ _

_ _“Accept…you?”_ _

_ _ **’Yes, accept me! We have so much fun together, remember?’** _ _

_ _He did remember, the rush of running through the forest, chasing the light dweller as they ran in terror. He remembered the blood that spilled onto the green grass. He remembered the twilight that surrounded him, like a warm blanket._ _

_ _He felt safe in the dark. Maybe…he would…accept...the dark…just for a little while._ _

_ _As he faded into the darkness, a voice whispered, **’There is no going back, Link.’** _ _

_ _…_ _

_ _Sky watched as Twilight slowed to a stop a ways ahead of the others. Wild, most likely not wanting to anger his mentor again, stopped as well. The group watched the older boy as he stood stock still for a minute._ _

_ _He suddenly turned, head bowed, and walked calmly back towards the others. Unsure of what to do, everyone waited, the tension apparent as it hung in the air. Then, without warning, Twilight _grinned_, unsheathing his sword and swinging it at Wild._ _

_ _The younger hero jumped out of the way, but not fast enough to escape getting grazed by the blade. Blood dripped from the cut that formed on his cheek._ _

_ _“Twilight, what are you doing?” Time shouted, shocked._ _

_ _To their surprise, he laughed, yellow eyes shining with glee **”I’m simply…ending the light. Snuffing it out, just like it should be.”**_ _

_ _Sky frowned, staring at Twilight, “Who are you?”_ _

_ _**”Oh, I’m still Link- or, Twilight, as you call him- but more accurately, I’m his twilight.”** ‘Twilight’ chuckled._ _

_ _“So you took over Twi’s body?” _ _

_ _**”Well, I suppose you can put it that way, but I didn’t do it by force, we just had a few…chats and maybe he had a few nightmares here and there, and he was more than willing to let me in; so gullible.”** _ _

_ _The other boy’s face was emotionless, “Oh? So I am correct in assuming it was _you_ who has been making him suffer?”_ _

_ _**”Bingo! But what are you going to do about it? You can’t hurt me, because then you’d be hurting your precious Link!”** Dark Twilight smirked at the boy._ _

_ _“All of you, stand back, I’ll handle this.” Sky spoke softly, yet they could feel the power and pure anger radiating off of him. They could only nod, shocked._ _

_ _He drew his sword, standing in front of Dark Twilight. With little time for him to react, Sky launched forward, his sword raised. The other just barely managed to block it with his blade._ _

_ _“If you think for one second that I’m going to let you use my friend’s body as a shield, then you’re dead wrong. Twi will forgive me later.” The hero whispered, a storm brewing in his eyes._ _

_ _While he pushed down on Dark Twilight’s blade, Sky kicked him in the gut, sending him reeling back. The dark hero coughed, gasping for air. Sky wasted no time in running forward, swinging at him again. He was on the defensive, barely given time to even consider going on the offensive._ _

_ _Sky was fast, always staying close, not allowing Dark Twilight to retreat. Everyone else was in awe. They hadn’t seen Sky fight like this before. They had known he was a good fighter, sure, but this…was another thing entirely._ _

_ _Dark Twilight was covered with bruises and cuts, a scowl adorning his face, when finally he snapped, **”Enough!”**_ _

_ _Darkness pulsed out of him, knocking Sky back. The darkness shifted and changed, covering the land with twilight. Dark Twilight’s face markings were glowing, along with more markings that had formed on his body. _ _

_ _**”I’m done toying with you, I will destroy you where you stand, light dweller.”** Dark Twilight growled._ _

_ _They both leaped forward, swords raised, and clashed, the sound of colliding metal echoed through the woods. To the shock of the on looking heroes, the two appeared to have gotten faster; more power was put into their strikes._ _

_ _As they locked swords again, Sky growled, “You made three grave mistakes.”_ _

_ _**”Oh, and what, pray tell are these so-called ‘mistakes’?”** Dark Twilight glared._ _

_ _“One: You decided to hurt one of my friends.” He pushed the dark hero back._ _

_ _

_ _“Two: You made him turn against the people he cares about.” Sky knocked the sword out of Dark Twilight’s hand._ _

_ _“And three: You thought that you could win against someone who has killed a _god_!” He slammed the hilt of his sword into his gut, sending him to the ground._ _

_ _A dark crystal revealed itself, hanging from a small cord on Dark Twilight’s neck. It was pulsing with dark energy. Reacting quickly, Sky yanked the crystal from his neck, throwing it away. Almost immediately, Dark Twilight started shaking on the ground, clutching his head._ _

_ _Mouth opened in a scream, dark magic came pouring from his lips, escaping into the open air. Eventually, everything stopped, and Twilight lay on the ground, panting heavily._ _

_ _He looked up, eyes wide, shining with tears, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”_ _

_ _Sky crouched down next to him, “It’s not your fault.”_ _

_ _“But it is! I should’ve been able to handle the twilight! I should be able to deal with my own darkness! Yet at the end of the day, I can’t, because I’m a monster, just like my darkness.”_ _

_ _“No, Twilight, you _aren’t_. Would a monster cry about something like this? Would a monster love and care for his friends like you do?” Sky hugged him close, “You’re not a monster, you’re our friend, you’re a part of our _family_.”_ _

_ _Twilight stayed silent, shoulders shaking._ _

_ _“Even if you turn dark, I’ll fight for you. I’ll fight tooth and nail to get you back home, you hear?” _ _

_ _The other boy nodded, just slightly, but Sky knew he understood. The Links were there for each other, no matter what._ _

_ _Sky held him, smiling softly as Twilight sobbed._ _

_ _

_ _It was going to be alright._ _


End file.
